Windows Overwrites My BIOS!

[Lazarus]

Win 98SE
Tyan Tiger 100 [Rev. F] with latest BIOS

Evenin' all,
'Fraid this ain't a sexy overclocking problem but I'd sure appreciate someones advice. I've configured two hardware
profiles in Win 98SE. In the first, 'Original' configuration, all my
everyday devices are enabled. In the second, 'Audio' configuration,
I've disabled both Serial ports, modem etc., in order to free up
IRQ's and resources for the several audio/midi devices I've got
- the fewer devices they have to compete with, the better.

The problem is that when I re-boot from the Audio configuration back
into the Original one, the Tiger's BIOS setting for the Serial Port
has somehow disabled itself - as if having been instructed to by
the Windows settings for the Audio config. - even though I've previously
set and saved it to Auto (or 03F8h). It stays put so long as I stay with
the Original config. but as soon as I boot from one to the other, back
it goes again.

So, to summarize: even though I set and save 'OnBoard Serial
Port 1' to either '03F8h' or 'AUTO' in AMIBIOS, this setting will be
changed to 'Disabled' if a Hardware Profile in Windows has that device
disabled in Device Manager.

I've tried:
Clearing CMOS
Cold Booting
Disabling NVRAM/ESCD updates in : 'Control Panel/System/Device Manager
System Devices/Plug and Play Bios/Settings'
Both disabling and enabling 'Plug and Play aware OS' in AMIBIOS
Both disabling and enabling Quick Boot in AMIBIOS
Microsoft's online database - nowt

The workaround is to re-enable the Serial Port in AMIBIOS every time
I switch boot configuration but I can't believe this is necessary (is
it?)
- I've never seen this happen with other motherboards. How does Windows
overwrite a setting in the Tyan's BIOS and is there anyway of stopping
it doing so?

Thanks,
Laz

[Peter M]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Plug&Play.

It doesn't matter from which user interface you change the settings of an onboard peripheral device. Whether the device's Plug&Play services are called from Windows Device Manager or from BIOS Setup user interface doesn't matter - the result is the same: Setting stored in CMOS and ESCD NVRAM, hardware set to desired mode.

So what you describe is perfectly normal (and actually useful for computers like notebooks that don't have a BIOS Setup :-)

Regards, Peter

[Lazarus]

Thanks for replying, Peter.

So this means every time I boot into a different
Windows config - I do this several times daily -
I have to first go into SETUP in my motherboard's
AMIBIOS ?! ...and this is a feature with no way
around it?

If this is the case, then were I to even have two
separate Operating System partitions, I would still
have to first go into SETUP in the Tyan's AMIBIOS
before I re-booted each time because one of the
Windows configurations would've changed the settings!

> Whether the device's Plug&Play services are called
> from Windows Device Manager or from BIOS Setup user
> interface doesn't matter - the result is the same:
> Setting stored in CMOS and ESCD NVRAM, hardware set
> to desired mode.

Even if I have 'Plug & Play Aware OS' disabled in
the BIOS and have disabled NVRAM/ESCD updates in
Windows, the settings still get changed.

I wonder why there's no Windows warning or indication
saying users should be aware that before making a
different hardware profile that re-setting their
motherboard's BIOS might be necessary between each
re-boot. Nothing about this in any Windows
info/troubleshooting at Microsofts site.

Have you got any URL's for where I might find the
details of this protocol.

I've never come across this 'feature' with other
motherboards and of the people I've asked who
also use different hardware profiles, none have
to perform this time consuming procedure - they
simply re-boot back into the original config. with
their motherboard settings intact.

Thanks again for your help on this,
Laz